KEVIN YOUNG, DIRECTOR
60822 Creek Road
Niles, MI 49120
269-684-3870
kevin60822@sbcglobal.net
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2026 GRANGE NEWS
Winter Squash —
Carrots with tops—
Flowers:
Other Categories:
Pumpkin, carved and decorated—
Decorated Flower Pot—
Agriculture Annual Report
I look forward to seeing what entries will be in the Ag Department classes this year. It has been another strange growing season in 2026 and our garden did poorly. I hope to continue to bring you information on this Department that has meant so much to our Great Organization when it was first founded! I hope everyone enjoys the State Session and their stay in Three Rivers!!!
Winners for the Agriculture Department:
Vegetables:
Potatoes —
1st Place — Peggy Johnston, Burns #160
Winter Squash —
1st Place — Joanne Cebulski, Barnard #689
Carrots with tops—
1st Place — Peggy Johnston, Burns #160
2nd Place — Dale Moore, Burns #160
Flowers:
Flower Bloom —
1st Place — Dale Moore, Burns #160
2nd Place—Peggy Johnston, Burns #160
Other Categories:
Pumpkin, painted or decorated—
1st Place — Peggy Johnston, Burns #160
2nd Place — Sharon Popler, Burns #160
3rd Place — Dale Moore, Burns #160
Pumpkin, carved and decorated—
1st Place — Dale Moore, Burns #160
2nd Place — Peggy Johnston, Burns #160
Decorated Flower Pot—
1st Place — Peggy Johnston, Burns #160
2nd Place — Connie Johnston, Gratiot #1898
3rd Place — Dale Moore, Burns #160
Best of Show: Peggy Johnston, Burns #160
Decorated Pumpkin
Agriculture Annual Report
Worthy Master, First Lady, Delegates, National Reps, Brothers and Sisters:
Welcome to the 153rd Annual Convention of the Michigan State Grange!! It is hard to believe that it is time for yet another Michigan State Grange Session. Time sure goes by fast, where has 2026 gone!? I hope everyone has enjoyed my articles as at times I felt like I was just rambling on but at the time I was writing them it was what was on my mind. Agriculture in our Great State is a very important part of life and of the State Economy, and I feel honored to be the Director of the MSG Agriculture Department. It has been a very up and down year so far for Agriculture in our Country and it isn’t over yet. As our elected officials that represent us in Washington DC still work on the new Farm Bill, we need to be mindful of the items that they may add or delete from it. We need to use our voice to let our State representatives know before it is too late that farmers are still struggling and we need to support the farmers more than ever as they continue to feed our Country and the World. We, the Grange, need to stand stronger than ever to let everyone know that the Grange is still alive and here to help our friends in Agriculture.
I look forward to seeing what entries will be in the Ag Department classes this year. It has been another strange growing season in 2026 and our garden did poorly. I hope to continue to bring you information on this Department that has meant so much to our Great Organization when it was first founded! I hope everyone enjoys the State Session and their stay in Three Rivers!!!
Fraternally, Kevin Young, AG Director
AGRICULTURE
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2026 GRANGE NEWS
As we move into the harvest season, please keep in mind that we will once again be sharing the roads with very large-sized farm equipment. I know we are all in a hurry to get where we are going but we need to keep in mind that those big pieces of equipment help to put food on our families’ tables.
Wow! August is half over as I write this article, and another County Fair season is just about over for my area. The weather is up and down with temperatures and humidity, along with plenty of rain, but it wouldn’t be summer and fair season without that type of weather! The Berrien County Youth Fair just started on Aug 16th with entry day, and we had rain throughout the morning hours and mid-day. We hope that we don’t have too much more rain during the week, as it will keep people from coming out to see what the youth of Berrien County have worked so hard on all summer long. There are only a few more fairs left in Michigan now with one of them being the St. Joseph County Grange Fair in Centreville and I believe the last one in Michigan being the Hillsdale County Fair.
We got our garden planted after Memorial Day weekend this year, planting zucchini, tomatoes, and butternut squash. It has been a very strange growing season for us this year. The zucchini all died but one hill and we haven’t had any squash from it yet. The butternut squash is trying to grow, but the plants are pretty thin for this time of the summer. I don’t expect anything from them. The tomato plants are trying their best and there are some green tomatoes. I just don’t think they will give us too many though. I think the garden plot is tired, and it is time to fertilize it or get some fresh topsoil from the farmer down the street. I hope others have had better luck and will have lots of items to enter in this year’s classes. If there is a class suggestion for the 2027 State Session that you would like to share with me, please do so. I am always up for making changes if it works with when our State Session is held.
As we move into the harvest season, please keep in mind that we will once again be sharing the roads with very large-sized farm equipment. I know we are all in a hurry to get where we are going but we need to keep in mind that those big pieces of equipment help to put food on our families’ tables.
I look forward to seeing everyone that will be coming to the Michigan State Grange Convention that is being held in mid-October down in Three Rivers. I hope everyone has been working on entries for the Departments, so we have a great Grange Contest year!
See you at State Session!!
